Harbor Country Museum Guide

Museum Guide

There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children...
one is roots, the other wings.

Harbor Country’s
Museum Guide

Berrien County, Michigan

1839 Courthouse Museum
Berrien County Historical Association
Chapin Mansion
Curious Kids’ Museum
Ferry Street School
Fort Miami
Fort St. Joseph Museum
Gardener School, The
Krasl Art Center
Mary’s City of David
Morton House Museum
Natural History Museum, The
New Buffalo Railroad Museum, The
Niles Historic District
North Berrien Historical Museum
Pear Flour Mill Museum, The
Siegfried H. Horn Archaeological Museum
Three Oaks Spokes Bicycle Museum
Wilkinson Heritage Museum at Wilkinson Village

LaPorte County, Indiana

Alyce Bartholomew Children’s Museum, The (ABC Children’s Museum)
Art Center – John G Blank Center
Barker Mansion and Civic Center
Door Prairie Auto Museum
Great Lakes Museum of Military History, Inc.
Hesston Steam Museum
John G. Blank Center for the Arts
LaPorte County Historical Museum
Old Lighthouse Museum

St. Joseph County, Indiana

College Football Hall Of Fame
Studebaker National Museum

Berrien County, Michigan

1839 Courthouse Museum (Berrien County Historical Association)
- Open 9am-4pm Tuesdays thru Fridays; 1pm-5pm Saturdays and Sundays. Admission free.
- Michigan’s oldest courthouse is the state’s only surviving example of a mid-19th century country government complex. A fine example of Greek revival architecture, the first floor contains a history of the area including Indian life, french forts, four flags and 19th century life. The second floor courtroom, the scene of present-day mock trials for students and occasionally a stage for actors, is a recreation of the 1839 original. Behind the courthouse is a replica of an 1890’s blacksmith shop, a wagon maker’s shop and the restored 1830’s Log Murdock House, the oldest surviving two-story log house in the state. An 1870 Berrien County Sheriffs House and Jail are being renovated into an interpretive center. The museum participates in several community celebrations, including the Christmas Pickle Festival, a re-enactment, and the Log Cabin Celebrations in June.

Chapin Mansion
- Open 8am-5pm Mondays thru Fridays, except on government holidays. Group tours by appointment.
- A fine example of Victorian Queen Anne architecture, this mansion was the home of mine owner Henry Chapin, one of the wealthiest men in Michigan at the turn of the century. Completed in 1884, the home is built of locally-made brick, native stone, and terra cotta tile.

Curious Kids’ Museum
- Open 10am-5pm Wednesdays thru Saturdays; 12pm-5pm Sundays. Admission fee for adults and children age 2 and older. Groups are welcome. Call or send for a schedule of upcoming activities. Gift Shop.
- The museum offers children of all ages hands-on involvement to discover the worlds of science, history, and culture. Science enrichment classes and workshops for all ages. A gift shop at the museum offers affordable children’s items.

Ferry Street School
- Admission by appointment only.
- The Ferry Street School is operated by the public school system as an historic learning experience for children. The red brick schoolhouse was built in 1867 for “colored children.” It was closed after 3 years but reopened in 1873 as an integrated school.

Fort St. Joseph Museum
- Open 10am-4pm Wednesday thru Saturdays. Group tours by appointment. Free admission.
- Fort St. Joseph’s exhibits include one of the nation’s largest collections of Potawatomi and Plains Indians artifacts. It also houses collections of Sioux beaded and quilted garments, ornaments, weapons, and artifacts from Chief Sitting Bull and the Sioux tribe. The museum, a state historic site, also has artifacts from the Indian, French, and English periods of 1691 to 1781, a firearms display, and 18th & 19th Century cooking utensils. This early Michigan pioneer Cabin, modeled after one in Niles, is a treat for children providing a hands-on display containing a large collection of artifacts recovered from Fort St. Joseph.

Gardener School, The
- Admission by appointment only.
- An 1866 one-room country school found a new home in 1982 when it was moved to the Buchanan farm. Present day students and visitors are treated to seasonal activities such as making cider and maple syrup.

Krasl Art Center, The
- Free Admission, barrier free.
- The Krasl Art Center’s three galleries are home to numerous exhibitions, changing monthly. Traveling exhibitions include collections from the Smithsonian Institiution, Detroit Institute of the Arts, and treasures from other major museums and private collections. Every July, the Krasl’s celebrated Art Fair on the Bluff attracts crowds of over 75,000 to view the carefully screened works of about 200 of the country’s finest artists. Visit the Krasl Gallery Shop. Open Mon. thru Thur. 10am-4pm, Fri 10am-1pm, Sun. 1pm-4pm. Closed major holidays.

Natural History Museum, The
- Tours by appointment only. Admission free.
- The University’s Natural History Museum houses and extensive collection of plants and animals including the only complete Mastodon Skeleton discovered in Michigan.

New Buffalo Railroad Museum, The
- Open in the Summer. Noon-5pm Saturdays and Sundays.
- Opened in 1990, this replica of the Pere Marquette Railroad Roundhouse has an engine, caboose, 3 passenger cars, and a miniature train model reminiscent of the original Marquette Railroad yards and line. You’ll also find local history exhibits and railroad memorabilia.

Niles Historic District
- The State of Michigan has designated the north front street area from Sycamore to Wayne Street a historic district. Homes there date from the mid to late 1800’s. A brochure from the Four Flags Area Council on Tourism is also available.

North Berrien Historical Museum

Pear Flour Mill Museum, The
- Open May 30th to Labor Day, 1pm-5pm Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays. Donations accepted.
- A working gristmill, built in the Greek Revival style, features exhibits on local history. Restored to its original design, the 1853 mill still has the same beams. Old farm equipment is on display, and two millstones and a waterwheel grind flour and cornmeal. Demonstrations of historic trades, such as weaving, blacksmithing and basket weaving, bring Buchanan’s history alive. Take home your own stoned ground flour and meal from the gift counter. A plaza built by the City of Buchanan, connects the mill to the downtown area.

Siegfried H. Horn Archaeological Museum
- Closed summers. Open 9am-noon; 2pm-4pm Tuesdays thru Thursdays; 2pm-5pm Saturdays. Hours vary during student holidays. Tours by appointment only.
- The Horn Museum blends art and artifacts to provide an excellent introduction to the near east from the early bronze age to the Islamic period. An extensive collection of artifacts & murals make a compelling exhibit. One of the 10 largest collections of Cuneiform Tablets in the United States and an 8 inch bronze statuette from Syria of the Canaanite God Baal that dates to the 15th Century BC are just a sample of the museum’s pieces.

Three Oaks Spokes Bicycle Museum
- Open 9am-5pm daily. Closed New Year’s Eve, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas days. Free Admission.
- Antique bicycle display, bicycle products and maps of back road bikeways.

Wilkinson Heritage Museum at Wilkinson Village
- Open 10am-6pm daily.
- Located in a former trading post built by John Wesley Wilkinson, the founder of Lakeside. This museum features artifacts from the Wilkinson family and Lakeside area history. The collection includes early photos of the area, Civil War letters, period dolls, furniture, clothing, and jewelry.

LaPorte County, Indiana

Alyce Bartholomew Children’s Museum, The (ABC Children’s Museum)
- The ABC Children’s Museum is an experienced-oriented center dedicated to the concept of family learning. The Museum will seek to inspire children and adults through interactive discovery, thus fostering awareness of themselves and others.

Art Center – John G Blank Center
- This elegant building with original Tiffany windows was built in 1896 and has three galleries with changing displays from different periods.

Barker Mansion and Civic Center
- Guided tours at 10am, 11:30am, and 1pm Monday thru Friday all year, and noon and 2pm Saturday and Sunday June 1st thru Oct 31st.
- This “Turn-of-the-Century” English manor-style home of freight car industrialist John H. Barker consists of thirty-eight rooms, seven fireplaces, ten bathrooms and formal gardens. You’ll find rare woods, marble, original furnishings and art objects throughout the mansion.

Door Prairie Auto Museum
- Open 10am-4:30pm Tuesday thru Saturday; noon-4:30pm Sunday. Closed Mondays and Holidays, handicapped accessible, photography is permitted, gift shop.
- This three story building displays approx. 50 antique and classic cars including: Auburn, Studebaker, Rolls Royce and many other models. Automobile memorabillia, architectural ornaments, airplanes, and old-fashioned toys are on display. Also featured is a re-creation of a block of old Main Street in LaPorte showing business store fronts of three different eras.

Great Lakes Museum of Military History, Inc.
- Open 9am-4pm Tuesday thru Saturday; noon-4:30pm Sunday; Closed Mondays.
- The museum is a public, not-for-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration and display of military memorabilia, from the Revolutionary War to the present, of the U.S. and other nations.

Hesston Steam Museum (LaPorte County Steam Show)
- Open noon-5pm weekends from Memorial Day thru last Sunday in October; open Sundays only September thur October. Admission free except Labor Day weekend. Free parking.
- Very nice display of old steam equipment, three gauges of steam trains give rides around 155 wooded acres, Labor day weekend has a big display.

John G. Blank Center for the Arts Museum
- Open 9am-4pm Monday thru Friday; 10am-2pm Saturday. Limited January hours.
- Exhibits by significant painters, sculptors, photographers and multimedia artists. Housed in a 100-year-old building with Tiffany style stained glass windows. Starting point for architectural tour.

LaPorte County Historical Society Museum
- Open 10am-4:30pm Tuesday thru Saturday. Free Admission.
- Over 80,000 items displayed, including period room settings such as a Victorian parlor, log cabin, 1920’s kitchen, and the W.A. Jones collection of antique firearms and weapons.

Old Lighthouse Museum
- Open 1pm-4pm Tuesday thru Sunday.
- Original 1858 light station structure, 8 display rooms, Great Lakes history, shipwrecks, era of sailing ships, local history. Learn how lighthouse keeper’s lived and worked. Includes a display of Native American Indian artifacts.

St. Joseph County, Indiana

College Football Hall Of Fame
- The Hall of Fame is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's. Hall hours are extended on University of Notre Dame home football weekends - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hours subject to change without notice. Please phone ahead prior to your visit!
- The College Football Hall of Fame is designed to put you in the middle of all the action. From your first step onto Gridiron Plaza, to the moment you exit through our unique gift shop, you'll see the sport from every possible angle

Studebaker National Museum
- Open daily. Gift Shop.
- Come view the Museum’s large collection of wagons, carriages, cars, and trucks. Trace Studebaker history from one-of-a-kinds like Lincoln’s Carriage, the 1934 Bendix and the Packard Predictor. Explore the children’s hands-on science center.

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November 3, 2003